kmack

Talk about reviving an old thread.... This is an update to the dyno information I got last year. Last September I had the opportunity to rebuild my 71's original engine. '71 block, E31 head, new rings, gaskets, seals, Felpro head gasket, no machining to block or head, '71 SU's, 6-2 header, 2-1/4" exhaust, stock distributor, points, K&N filter in stock airbox. So this past Saturday, I finally had the chance to put the engine on the dyno to see what kind of difference it has compared to the old '73 engine. Man! What a difference it made!!!! 136.8 hp at the wheels!!!! Now keep in mind this is on the same dyno that was used last year, so the results will be fairly accurate. I couldn't believe it myself when I first saw it. I was only expecting to just break 130. But it's still running rich like it was last year. So on a subsequent run, I removed the k&N and airbox all together. 139.2 hp at the wheels!!!! That's almost 2.5 hp alone being trapped in airbox! I'm gonna be hacking that thing up for sure now! I haven't had the time to scan the dyno sheet in yet, but I will soon. Proof is in the paper! FWIW, San Antonio is at about 800-900 ft above sea level. Temp. was about 95* F and humidity was in the 80% range. Also, does anybody know what the rated hp figures are the JDM Fairladys w/ the L6 2.0L? We had one one the dyno also, but it only pulled 88 hp at the wheels. Seemed kind of low to everybody. Owner said he does regular maintenance on the engine and has had no signs of problems with that engine. It is a daily driver, too.

Somewhere in this site, EScanlon has a good technique for retrieving the center pins. Get some panty-hose and cut off one leg. Tape the open end of the "leg" around the end of the hose from a Shop-Vac. When you turn the vacuum on, it will suck the panty-hose into the hose from the vacumm. Now insert the vacuum hose into those hard to reach areas in the body of the car. Periodically, check the panty-hose for those center pins and anything else that is loose in your car. The panty-hose act as a filter on the vacuum, allowing you to catch the pins. Thanks for the info, EScanlon.

For anybody interested: May 22 & 23, 2004 - The Rio Grande Valley Porche Club will be hosting a 2-day High-speed Event with 2 separate track layout. A discount deal was set for Z drivers to help boost attendance. So far we have 3 early cars (2-240's, 1-280), 4-5 350Z's, a few 240SX's, and 1 race prepped Datsun Roadster that will be in attendance. I'm posting this for anybody in the South-Central Texas region that would like to come down and watch the Z Contingency whip up on the local Porches and Corvettes! It's good fun and the beach is 15 minutes away. If you want to run your car, you can do that also, but the discount was for early registration. RGV PCA Club for more information.

Basically, what John said above. Use a floor jack to support the tranny while stabbing it into the clutch/pressure plate. You'll need to raise/lower the tail shaft until you get it almost seated. at this point, you'll to make sure the splines on the input shaft line up witht he splines on the clutch disc. You may need to rotate the tranny slightly (usually no more than a few degrees rotation to either side). When the splines line up, it will 'clunk' into place and then slide easily on the alignment pins on the back of the engine block. Once that has happened, put at least one bolt into one of the two upper bolt holes on the bellhousing, and you can let it hang there until you get the rest of the bolts/mounts in place. A few words of advice: install the tranny without any fluid. It's lighter, and the fluid won't run out of the tail shaft housing all over the floor or you. If you have fluid on the tranny already, a spray paint can cap works pretty good to make a seal at the output shaft. It may not stop the fluid from leaking out the back completely, but it will work in a pinch. Otherwise, just use the driveshaft and let it hang while installing the tranny. Oh and get an extra set of hands to help out. Well worth it!

Don't what rates are in California as I'm in Texas, but $3k sounds a bit high to me. If you only have to replace seals, gaskets, and rings (assuming pistons, and lower bearings are still ok, ie: mileage isn't over 250k), then parts should only run in the $300-350 range. Now that does not include new valve guides, valve seats or any head work. I guess a lot depends on what condition your engine is in internally. Any signs the head might be warped?

Just finished swapping trannys last weekend, for the third time! Damn rear counter-shaft bearings!! :tapemouth I have a 6-2-1 header mated to a custom 2-1/4" exhaust and I never touch the exhaust system when dropping a transmission. I have found that you need to rotate the tranny about a 1/4 turn sometimes, but it just drop right out. If you have a stock exhaust, there should be no clearance issues. Also, for those of you with an early series I 240, the bell housing on the early 4-speeds is slightly larger than on later transmissions. Makes putting the later 4-speed or 5-speed in a lot easier.

Remember, it's "or best offer." I'm not the one selling them. You'll need to contact Troy or Kelli. I would have bought these myself, but I had just paid for my set on Monday and then found out about these on Tuesday. Going price here in San Antonio, mounted and balanced, is about $320 (Discount Tire). Yes, Vulcan Tire online has a pretty good price, but you'll still spend about $10-12 a tire to get them mounted.

True Texas native.... First 7 yrs in Houston, then moved about as far south in this country as you can get. San Benito, Tx (13 yrs) - parents house was less than 7 miles north of the Rio Grande. Then went to college in San Antonio, Tx. Been here ever since. Right now I'm about as far north and the highest elevation (about 800 feet) as I've ever lived. Wouldn't trade it for anything...:classic:

Posting this ad for President of Z-Sport: Set of 4 Falken Azenis Sports, 195/60R14 Almost 500 miles on tires, still brand new. Tires were installed on son's neon right before car was rolled. Tires still mounted on Neon rims. Asking price is $240 obo. Tires are located in San Antonio, Tx. Contact Troy or Kelli Elms at : telms@satx.rr.com

Panchovisa is right on the headers. On the dash swap, though, there are differences. All the mounting holes on the top of the dash (near the windshield) should be the same. It's the mounting holes under the center of the dash (where it mounts to the transmission tunnel) that will be different. Location of the fuse block is also different between the 240 & 260 which will require you to make adjustments. You could just swap out wire harnesses while swapping the dash, but then you'll run into problems with connectors on the engine bay harness and the rear wire harness. Why would you want to put a 260 dash into a 240 anyway?

This was the way I addressed mine. But I didn't swap out for a slightly longer rod. I just put a slight kink in mine and it took about 80% of the "stickyness" out of the throttle movement. If I ever decide to get the remaining 20% out, then I'll re-work my bell crank. But for now, it's SOOO much better!

The holes are there because the car still has the stock '73 airbox and they allow the "72 SU's to breathe better. I've seen it on a few other cars. The dealer that made the conversion did this back in late '73 (according to Pat). The libra wheels were also a dealer option at the time. Now keep in mind, this car is NOT Factory Stock, but it is Stock with Dealer add-ons. There are slight differences.

To my knowledge, those are the original seats, untouched! Even the carpet is original. Send an email to Pat Helmer for further clarification.

Pat is one of the nicest, and most straight-forward & honest man I have ever met. And he acquired a little knowledge about Z cars since he ownership of this 240. But he is still somewhat uncomfortable with working on the car itself, so he has most all the maintenance performed by mechanics that know these cars. I have done some work on this also, specifically: rebuilding the headlight switch (works perfect now) cleaning and fixing the chokes on the su's fixing the choke pull handle and a check and tune-up of the two fuel pumps (both of which work great) I can tell you that the console has a small crack in it at the choke pull handle (but what Z doesn't?). It's a minor fix that could be performed quickly. The paint on this car is in exceptional shape, as the car has been garaged all it's life. To my knowledge, the car has never been repainted. And there is absolutely no rust on this car, I've looked. And I've looked, and I've looked some more! This car is like looking at a time capsule. I've seen cars at shows that been this nice or nicer, but they were restored. This one has not been touched.

I'm forwarding this along from one of our Z-Sport club members. He has finally decided to sell this car much to the dismay of a few of us. This is one REALLY nice car! And it is a true "survivor" car. The only mods to this car were done back in '73 and that was to change to '72 carbs. Here is the link that is mentioned below: www.z-sport.com/phelmerpics.html If there are any questions, please forward them to Pat Helmer directly. From: Lester P Helmer <bandph@texas.net> Hello 240Z Enthusiasts, Would simply like to let your club members know of the availability of my 1973 Datsun 240Z. I inherited the car from my deceased uncle who was the original purchaser in Alhambra, CA and it remained in CA until I brought to San Antonio, TX. The car is generally considered by knowledgeable Z people as among the finest near original 240's in the country. It is a multiple 1st place award winner in shows, the most prestigious of which being the NISMO AWARD presented by a Japanese delegation during the 2002 National ZCCA Convention show in recognition of car's originality and overall outstanding condition ( car finished a mere 19 points behind winner in it's division after losing a total of 22 points due to "unprepped" or "dirty" exhaust, suspension, and gas tank filler cap areas---top ranking cars were beautifully and expensively restored) I can document original purchase, service, etc. with many receipts (engine runs STRONGLY) as well as extensive handwritten record by my uncle. It is from these written notes, as well as from statements from my uncle and his wife prior to both their deaths, that I derive much of the knowledge l have of the car. I invite interested parties to go to my local Z club website (z-sport.com) for an informative pictorial layout (click on MEMBER'S RIDES and then my name, Pat Helmer). I intend to be as candid with prospective buyers as my knowledge allows and after almost 3 yrs. of ownership I feel I can answer most questions with confidence. Car has 139,600 mi., 120,000 of which are believed to be almost exclusively highway. Priced at $12,500. Thank you, Lester P. (Pat) Helmer 210-826-4581 bandph@texas.net

Yes, a 205 series tire would be about the smallest you'd want to put on a 7" wide rim. I've had as much as a 225 series on a 7" wide rim, but I thought that was pushing it.

The early style seats did have a little bit of adjustment, but not much. There should be a turn knob on the side of the seat the reclines the seatback a bit. It doesn't move much. Short of that, there are plastic spacer "nuts" that were used to shim up the seat on the body brackets. There may be none installed on the back portion of the seat. Pull the seats out and see (if any) where those adjusters are. These can be used to either tilt the seat forward some or tilt it back some. I have to admit, I love to just sit and look at the early Z's!!! When I was restoring mine and it was nothing more than a shell in the garage, I would stand next to the body and run my fingers down the body lines and dream.... Then when I finally got the bodywork done and the engine back in the car, I put one of the seats in just so I could sit in the car and pretend I was driving it. I would actually drive the car around the neighborhood with no doors, fenders, glass, hood, hatch, and open headers, just so I could drive it. Thy are beautiful cars!